Funny Cide: officially retired

Funny Cide’s days as a stable pony are over. The 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champ, will start a new life at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky.

Funny Cide will be officially welcomed at the Horse Park a week from Friday.

The gelding, who will turn 9 on Jan. 1, retired from racing in July of 2007 but stayed at trainer Barclay Tagg’s barn as a stable pony.

”He had just reached the point where the rigors of being on the track every day were starting to get to him a little bit,” said Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Sackatoga Stable, which owns the horse. ”It was time for him to truly retire.”

Funny Cide will reside in the Park’s Hall of Champions, which is also home to 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Alysheba and Cigar, who held the North American record for all-time earnings before it was broken this year by Curlin.